Ex-FBI official sues US government over documents on his firing

Washington June 14 (IANS) A lawyer for former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is suing the FBI the Department of Justice (DOJ) and its Inspector General for declining to turn over documents related to McCabe s firing. McCabe was dismissed in March shortly before his planned retirement for what the DOJ called a "lack of candour." As a result his healthcare benefits were stripped and his ability to collect a federal pension was also delayed.McCabe s lawyer filed a lawsuit on Tuesday evening claiming that the dismissal violated federal law and the authorities have refused to turn over materials related to McCabe s disciplinary process Xinhua reported. The former FBI deputy director has come under attacks by President Donald Trump since the 2016 presidential campaign. McCabe s wife ran for the state Legislature in Virginia as a Democrat and accepted contributions from then Governor Terry McAuliffe a Clinton family ally during the failed bid in 2015.Trump has asserted that McCabe had a conflict of interest in later overseeing the FBI s investigation into Hillary Clinton s use of a private email server while she was secretary of state despite the FBI and the DOJ said McCabe and his wife observed relevant ethics requirements. McCabe s legal team has been reportedly working on a civil lawsuit related to his firing since March but has not yet filed it.